CSIRO discovers potential bird flu treatment

New Australian research has uncovered a possible treatment for the deadly bird flu virus in humans.

New Australian research has uncovered a possible treatment for the deadly bird flu virus in humans.The disease has so far spread through poultry in 10 Asian countries, also killing at least eight people.There is concern the virus may have crossed into other species, after the deaths of a rare leopard and two domestic cats in Thailand.After significant laboratory testing, CSIRO scientists believe they have found a drug that effectively combats the flu strain in humans.Curtin University Professor Aileen Plant has welcomed the research.She says while stopping transmission from human-to-human is important, there are more pressing concerns.”To support those countries that are actually destroying their poultry flocks at the moment – that’s the single most useful and important thing we can do to make sure we minimise the chance of this virus getting into humans and then subsequently changing and then spreading human to human,” Professor Plant said.(Source: ABC Health News, Feb 2004)